


Confusion all around

by yuletide_archivist



Category: Bend It Like Beckham (2002)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-12-22
Updated: 2005-12-22
Packaged: 2018-01-25 01:30:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1624412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuletide_archivist/pseuds/yuletide_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set right after the end of the film. Jules and Jess settle into their new life in America.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Confusion all around

**Author's Note:**

> Written for lady_isabella

 

 

Jess truly cared for Joe, she knew he was attractive and not only that but was very definitely attracted to him. It came as a relief, everything was going to be alright because Joe might not have been someone her parents particularly approved of, but he was also a boy and that made all the difference, besides he liked her back. Jess wasn't exactly sure why he did, but it made her happy that someone like Joe would choose her over Jules, Jules who was beautiful. Jules, who was...Jess, forced her mind to stop there, Jules was her friend and where her mind wondered off to was not a place she felt comfortable at.

And now they were flying high above the ocean to America, with Joe already miles away and Jules right there.

"Hey, what's wrong? Already miss our lovely coach?" Jules smiled at her, sounding perfectly alright to a stranger's ear, but Jess could still detect a note of pain. She must still fancy him, Jess was sure and an odd feeling settled in her belly. She didn't even begin to question it and merely shook her head.

"Nah, just thinking whether to ask for an orange juice or water." They both laughed and Jess carried on. "I am also quite terrified, and bloody pleased you are here with me." It was true, living alone, being responsible, having complete freedom it was all she'd ever dreamed of and now that it was all going to happen Jess wasn't quite sure what to do with it.

Jules grabbed her hand and squeezed. "It will be a wonderful adventure you know, you should be pleased we are not allowed to have our phones switched on you know or we will both be receiving frantic calls from our respective parents."

Jess smiled and squeezed back, "Yeah, I still half expect them to change their minds and tell me to come back at once."

But no such thing occurred and way too many hours later they arrived in the land of opportunities.

They ended up, after a lengthy procedure involving a lot of waiting, sharing a dorm in a true American film style, which was indeed Jules first exclamation.

"Oh my god, this is like so cool, we have to go shopping at once!" Jess's sort of response was faced with a slightly shocked expression.

"Um, I know we are in a different continent but I still don't like shopping."

"I know hon, was only kidding...never mind we both need some sleep. Do you want to go have a shower first or shall I?"

Jules threw a pillow at her using it both as an indignant response and a continuation of the theme she was now aware of. No pillow fight ensued, they had no energy for it, instead Jules grabbed a towel and went to the bathroom leaving Jess alone with her thoughts.

It wasn't the time to over think the situation, not that there was a situation, only Jess was a bit confused. She liked Joe, of that she was sure, he was hot, and she had always been attracted to boys. But then there was Jules. Jules was pretty of course and Jess wasn't sure whether she fancied her or not. There was a difference from seeing your best friend as someone that is good looking and dreaming about kissing them. She had tried to convince herself that dreams mean nothing at all and then Joe was there and she felt comfortable, the ground suddenly stopped shaking but now they were sharing a room.

Jess momentarily shut her eyes and the image of Jules stretching on the plane came unbidden, the action uncovering a slimmer of skin including her hipbones and Jess could do nothing but stare. It was ridiculous in all fairness, they were teammates for god's sake, changed in front of each other all the time, what was so insanely different about that stretch, about that hipbone she couldn't tell. Jess wanted to lick it, only she wasn't sure if she did. She wasn't sure about anything and it was maddeningly frustrating.

Bathroom door slammed shut and Jess looked up and blinked. Jules was there, wrapped in far too short a towel, not quite dry and smiling sleepily. It was quite a sight and as her breath hitched, Jess looked hastily away, pretending to flick through a magazine, read and reread on the way. This made things easier in a way, at least she was sure. She liked girls. Well Jules in particular, but she had no chance there and at least she was less confused. Certainty made her feel lighter as she walked her way to the tiny steamed up shower.

**

It happened at a party. A lot of things happen at parties, this one started off a quite affair with all the guests knowing each other, but word got around and a lot of crashing happened. The new arrivals brought alcohol and it all went downhill from there. Jules was trying to ignore the lewd stares of a particularly drunk guy whilst franticly not looking for Jules. They'd had a bit of an argument over something unimportant and were both at the party stubbornly ignoring each other. Frank, Jess was pretty sure that was the drunk guy's name starting making his way towards her and she made a decision. Argument or no argument, she was finding Jules and they were making a quick exit, besides she had a paper due in tomorrow which needed to be written.

Moving between the drunk, dancing bodies proved quite a challenge and Jules seemed to be nowhere around, Jess felt her anger rise, Jules wouldn't have left without her, they always got home together, so she must be with some boy in one of those rooms. Jess shuddered with the thought of what she might interrupt but had no other choice and carefully pushed open the door of the nearest bedroom. In some respects she was lucky, Jules was there and the act performed was not as vulgar as she'd feared.

The two people in the room were simply kissing, Jules, her Jules, had her arms around and was half sitting in the lap of a curly haired pretty brunette Jess vaguely recognized but didn't know the name of. They both had their eyes closed and the kiss was drawn out and languid as if they had all the time on the world.

Jess gasped in shock and almost ran out of the room, the door slamming behind her, she didn't wait to see their reactions, didn't wait at all and walked back to their dorm all alone in the middle of the night, her brain refusing to do anything but replay the kiss over and over until she was ready to scream.

By the time she got to her bed she felt not only silly but a bit awful, her behaviour made no sense, she was angry and jealous and upset but Jules wasn't back yet and she would have completely misunderstood and Jess wasn't sure what to do or say when Jules came back. And why wasn't she back anyway, the party must be over by now. A horrible thought occurred, maybe she was still with that other girl.

She fell asleep fully clothed and when she awoke with a start from a nightmare she immediately forgot the other bed was comfortably filled with Jules staring at her with unblinking eyes. It was too late to pretend to be asleep and Jess tried to regain some normality and say something before the silence became really awkward.

She settled on `hi'.

Jules frowned at her. "I can't believe you reacted like that, you told me about Tony, I thought you wouldn't mind."

She seemed uncertain and hesitated towards the end but pride was also there. Jules sounded like she was exhausted and didn't want to fight, but would do so if necessary.

"Then why didn't you tell me?" Jess was hurt and her voice shook.

"I was going to! I just...well me and Hannah, it's nothing serious, it's new and I just wanted to make sure. Besides we live together and I didn't want it to become awkward."

Jess laughed bitterly, well awkward was one word for it, during the past few months her crush had fully grown and trying to hide it had damn near killed her. She knew that Jules was being honest and knew that she at least ought to return the favour.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to react like that, it was a shock that's all, I wish you felt you could tell me. But I know how you feel, no really, I do," she took a deep breath. She had rehearsed saying it in her head countless of times, it was only a few little words after all, why was it so hard to utter them.

"I am bisexual." There she'd said it, and it's not like Jules would scorn it, she was the one with a girlfriend or whatever Hannah was to her.

"Oh."

"Oh. That's all you can say?" A pause. "And you?"

"I...don't know, still trying to figure it out, and besides labels are so out of fashion these days."

It was as easy as that, the tension dissolved and they both giggled.

"Come here."

The hug was long and wonderful, they might have cried, they certainly shared a lot.

Jess was late turning that paper in.

 

 

 


End file.
